The last few months, I've made my monthly lighting posts focused on bringing artificial lights into my garden and that is what I plan to focus on most of the time. This month, however, I decided to focus on something that's not only important to my blog but also for taking better pictures; natural lighting and scene setting.
First I'll focus on scene setting. in the top left photo, the grass I've used for the ground cover is a bit wild and needs to be tamed, especially because it is blocking the view of the detailed chair legs. After removing all the decor and flattening the grass, I reset the scene in the photo on the right. The chair now looks great, but I've placed the teapot all the way to the left of the table, and it should be centered (or at least closer to the chair since that's where the character will be sitting).
Even when your decor is centered and your flora is in place, you may still not be ready for the best photo. Direct sunlight often washes out certain details and can make an otherwise great photo opportunity a flop. In the above photo, direct sunlight has completely washed out the details on the tea set and the back of the chair. The angle of your photo is also important. While this angle shows off the flowers in the background wonderfully, the containers edge is blocking quite a bit of the chair - the chair legs we worked hard to expose earlier when taming the ground cover.
Sometimes it's as easy as picking the right time of day. Familiarize yourself with your garden and the position of the sun at certain times of day. If your schedule is restrictive, a large sun shade might be what you need to get the best photo. The photo above is a good capture - the grass is pushed down, the decor is centered and the full scene is in shadow. The angle avoids the decor being blocked by the edge of the container but also cuts out the colorful, floral background. Once your scene is set, a few photos from different angles is a good idea so that you have a few photos to choose from for the best share.
Let's start fresh. New decor, same container. On the left, the container is in partial shadow and some direct sunlight. This completely washes out the fairies beautiful face. The lighting on the rest of the decor is good. In the photo on the right, the direct sunlight causes long shadows to be cast and the fairy is still washed out.
Spotted lighting is fine as long as it is angled appropriately (like not making a bright spot on a fairy's face to wash her out). If this does not happen naturally, you might be able grab a tree clipping to block the sun out or even a large, thick card stock with some hole punches in it. Get creative! If it wasn't for the fact that I forgot to replace the flower pot, this would have been a perfect scene! So here's a reminder, always make sure all your pieces are in the shot!
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